Horse-Centered Fiction: Novels where the bond between human and horse drives the story.Like this list

29 items

• Horse Heaven

  Smiley, Jane

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  "It's not true," says a character in Jane Smiley's funny, passionate, and brilliant new novel of horse racing, "that anything can happen at the racetrack," but many astonishing and affecting things do—and in Horse Heaven, we find them woven into a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Sport of Kings

  Morgan, C. E., 1976-

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  Hellsmouth, a wilful thoroughbred filly, has the legacy of a family riding on her. The Forges: one of the oldest and proudest families in Kentucky; descended from the first settlers to brave the Wilderness Road; as mythic as the history of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Horse

  Brooks, Geraldine,

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  A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history Kentucky,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Mare

  Vintage Contemporaries Edition

  Gaitskill, Mary, 1954-

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  The story of a Dominican girl, the white woman who introduces her to riding, and the horse who changes everything for her Velveteen Vargas is eleven years old, a Fresh Air Fund kid from Brooklyn. Her host family is a couple in upstate New York:…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Seabiscuit

  An American Legend

  Hillenbrand, Laura

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  Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Horse Dancer

  Moyes, Jojo, 1969-

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  When Sarah’s grandfather gives her a beautiful horse named Boo—hoping that one day she’ll follow in his footsteps to join an elite French riding school, away from their gritty London neighborhood—she quietly trains in city’s parks and alleys. But…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Horse Whisperer

  Evans, Nicholas, 1950-2022

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  He is the stuff of legend. His voice can calm wild horses and his touch heal broken spirits. For secrets uttered softly into pricked and troubled ears, such men were once called Whisperers. Now Tom Booker, the inheritor of this ancient gift, is to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Heart in Winter

  a Novel

  Barry, Kevin, 1969-

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  October 1891. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city of Butte, Montana is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Black Stallion

  Farley, Walter, 1915-1989

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  First published in 1941, Walter Farley's best-selling novel for young readers is the triumphant tale of a boy and a wild horse. From Alec Ramsay and the Black's first meeting on an ill-fated ship to their adventures on a desert island and their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Hearts of Horses

  Gloss, Molly

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  In the winter of 1917, a big-boned young woman shows up at George Bliss's doorstep. She's looking for a job breaking horses, and he hires her on. Many of his regular hands are off fighting the war, and he glimpses, beneath her showy rodeo garb, a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Scorpio Races

  Stiefvater, Maggie, 1981-

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  It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Half Broke

  a Memoir

  Gaffney, Ginger,

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  At the start of this remarkable story of recovery, healing, and redemption, Ginger Gaffney answers a call to help retrain the troubled horses at an alternative prison ranch in New Mexico, a facility run entirely by the prisoners. The horses are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• My Friend Flicka

  O'Hara, Mary

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  It seems Ken can't do anything right. He loses saddle blankets and breaks reins...but then comes the worst news yet: a report card so bad that he has to repeat a grade. How can you tame the dreamy mind of a boy who stares out of the window instead…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• War Horse

  Morpurgo, Michael

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  A powerful tale of war, redemption and a hero's journey. In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Take the Reins

  Burkhart, Jessica

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  When Sasha Silver and her horse, Charm, arrive on the campus of the elite Canterwood Crest Academy, Sasha knows that she's in trouble. She's not exactly welcomed with open arms. One group of girls in particular is used to being the best, the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Believing in Horses Out West

  Ormond, Valerie

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  Sadie Navarro rescued a mare from an auction accomplishing what she thought was the most important mission of her young life. Now, that mare is headed to a ranch in Montana and a home Sadie knows nothing about. She wants to make sure the horse is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• King of the Wind

  Henry, Marguerite, 1902-1997

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  He was named "Sham" for the sun, this golden red stallion born in the Sultan of Morocco's stone stables. Upon his heel was a small white spot, the symbol of speed. But on his chest was the symbol of misfortune. Although he was as swift as the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Think of Horses

  a Novel

  Blew, Mary Clearman, 1939-

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  At age seventeen Tam Bowen left her Montana home in disgrace after giving birth to a son out of wedlock. After working her way through college, she settled in Portland, Oregon, where she began making a living for herself and her son by writing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Coming Home

  Brooke, Lauren

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  This powerful series follows Amy Fleming through the loss of her mother and her struggle to continue the work at Heartland-a refuge for abused and abandoned horses. (Goodreads)

• A Horse of Her Own

  Wedekind, Annie

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  Fourteen-year-old Jane Ryan has always dreamed of having a horse of her own—but so long as she gets to ride her favorite school horse, Beau, at Sunny Acres farm, she’s content. And this is the summer she means to try out for the advanced riding…Read moreRead more of this annotation